Anthony Smith led the Big Ten in sacks at 6-6, 295 -- a power rusher built like a defensive end and a tackle at once. He turned down the NFL to come back, sharpen the craft, and chase the first round.
6′6″ · 280 lb · Shippensburg, PA · Shippensburg
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 TFL, 2 tackles, vs Mississippi State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Anthony Smith led the Big Ten in sacks at 6-6, 295 -- a power rusher built like a defensive end and a tackle at once. He turned down the NFL to come back, sharpen the craft, and chase the first round.
Smith's 2025 was a wrecking-ball season: 12.5 sacks to lead the Big Ten and 17.5 tackles for loss, the kind of production that usually buys a ticket to the draft. Instead he rejected transfer interest and the NFL to return to Minnesota, pairing with Karter Menz to form one of the conference's best edge duos. The forward stakes are a climb up draft boards: he's already an All-America-caliber rusher, and 2026 is about refining the rush plan around a heavy, powerful base into a first-round profile. At his size, with this production, he's a problem for any tackle in the Big Ten.
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
Smith is a power-rush edge -- 6-6, 295, a heavy, long defender who wins by walking tackles back into the pocket rather than running the arc around them. The bull rush is the foundation, and the 12.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss say it works: he collapses the edge and the quarterback's launch point at once. At his weight he's stout against the run too, hard to move off the ball -- the kind of edge who sets a firm edge and rushes from a base of strength. The development is the finesse to complement the force: add the counters and the bend, and a dominant power rusher becomes a complete one.
Written by our staff.
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-AMERICA
All-America honors (2026)
1 mentions across the selector pool
ALL-BIG TEN · 1ST TEAM
All-Big Ten 1st team (2025)
Badges
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under P.J. Fleck.
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-7vs Eastern Illinois | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 13-38vs Mississippi State | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 41-7vs Akron | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 5 | 2 | 2.0 | 0.5 | — | 1 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 59–7
0.5 tackles for loss · 1 tackles
Dominant 52-point win at home against Eastern Illinois.
With J. Tracy — 5 rec · 98 yds · D. Lindsey — 264 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 86.2 · 6 rush yds (2 car)
Since week 2: +0.5 sacks, +0.5 tackles for loss, +2 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
5 seasons under P.J. Fleck — 33-22 over that span.
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: tackles for loss (80th percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
P.J. Fleck
Pass share
57.1%
112 pass / 84 run
Plays / game
65.3
3 games
Team sack rate
1.7%
119 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Player standing · 2025
First team in his league at the position.
our read the All-Conference 1st team honor is earned — and the box score backs it up emphatically: #9 of 420 FBS edge rushers by CFB Index Score.2025 profile
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Former four-star. Now #9 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix to repeat All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #1 of 69 Big Ten DLs
49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Selector Grid · 2026
Play style
Smith is a power-rush edge -- 6-6, 295, a heavy, long defender who wins by walking tackles back into the pocket rather than running the arc around them. The bull rush is the foundation, and the 12.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss say it works: he collapses the edge and the quarterback's launch point at once. At his weight he's stout against the run too, hard to move off the ball -- the kind of edge who sets a firm edge and rushes from a base of strength. The development is the finesse to complement the force: add the counters and the bend, and a dominant power rusher becomes a complete one.
Our classifier reads him the same way: disrupts the pocket from the interior.
Player DNA
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Gabe Hall’s 2021 season.
Matches Gabe on
Differs from Gabe on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Darius Hodges's senior season at Tulane (2023).
Matches Darius on
Differs from Darius on
Player DNA
PRONUNCIATION Your browser does not support HTML5 audio. HONORS: All-Big Ten First Team, Edge (2025, coaches) All-Big Ten Second Team, Edge (2025, media) AP Second Team All-Big Ten (2025) All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (2024) 2025 • JUNIOR SEASON: Started all 13 games • made 38 tackles • had…
19 more on the roster · Minnesota team page